SAN DIEGO - A retired chairman of Dalton Foundries, former county councilman and Warsaw school board member died last week in California.
William Matthews "Matt" Dalton died in San Diego Feb. 4.
Dalton was a founder and chairman of the Kosciusko Leadership Academy.He also served on the county council from 1980 to 1984 as well as on the Warsaw School board from 1962 to 1968.
It may have been his role in starting KLA that leaves the most lasting mark in the community.
"Many years ago (Matt) brought a group of us together to hear a professor at Ball State University speak about leadership academies," said KLA co-founder Gene Northernor. "So he along with Doug Grant, myself and a few others started one here."
Northernor called Dalton "a mentor".
Dalton also started Junior Achievement in Warsaw in 1953.
Charlie Bertsch, a friend of Dalton's and founder of Bertsch Vending, said "Matt was a nice guy but could be tough as nails. You just had to know him."
Bertsch said he and Dalton became friends after World War II as the two did business together.
According to Bertsch, he, Dalton, Northernor and former Times-Union publisher Reub Williams would have lunch together to "solve the world's problems."
There will be a service in Warsaw for Dalton sometime this spring.
His obituary appears on page 3A of today's Times-Union.
